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Job Interview Advice on
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The final stage of the job interview is critical, you need to leave the interviewer with the impression that you are the right candidate for the job.
There are a number of ways to close the interview. How you choose to close will depend on your personal style and that of the interviewer.
The best ways to close the interview all follow these basic guidelines.
Ask your Questions
Make sure you have asked all your
prepared questions
about the job, company and management. Ask any questions that may have resulted from the information exchanged during the interview. This is the last opportunity to get your answers, so it is recommended that you ask something along the lines of,
"Can I ask you a couple more questions before we close the interview?"
Reinforce the Positive
Once you have had an opportunity to ask your questions, the interviewer will probably say something like, "If you have nothing else, that will be all. Thank you for your time." This is the time to make a positive closing statement by highlighting why you are the best job candidate. Good job interview advice is to refer to your strengths and how they make you a good fit for the position. Restate the skills and experience you can bring to the position. Use your knowledge about the company to offer up insightful reasons for your suitability.
When preparing this statement think of four or five solid reasons why you should get the job. An example is,
"This certainly is an exciting opportunity and I believe that I am the right candidate for this position. My experience as a team member will add value to the creation of this new sales team, my knowledge of the customer base and the area will help grow your business and my sales performance shows my commitment to achieving targets. I have also implemented a number of strategies that could be successfully used in this position."
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Make Sure you have Addressed the Interviewers Concerns You want to be sure that all the issues have been dealt with. Try an approach such as, |
This allows the interviewer to honestly express any objections and gives you the opportunity to overcome them before you walk out the door.
Ask if there is anything else you should provide to support your application, such as references, work samples etc. Make a time to deliver these personally if required.
Express your Enthusiasm for the Position
End your job interview on an enthusiastic but not aggressive note. Emphasize your interest in the position and company but avoid sounding desperate or over the top. State how exciting and challenging the position sounds. You can use your background research to prepare a few flattering comments about the company.
Find Out the Next Step in the Hiring Process
Unless it has clearly stated this, you need to know exactly what happens next in the hiring process - a second interview, assessments, a medical etc. Try to establish the time frame for a hiring decision to be made and who you should get in touch with to follow up the status of your application. Should you phone or email?. Our job interview advice is to approach it like this,
"I would like to know what the next step is and when you will be making a final decision so that I can follow up."
Clarifying this information not only lets you know what is happening but also shows the interviewer that you are professional and organized.
Thank the Interviewer
Thank the interviewer graciously and sincerely for the time spent with you. Give a firm handshake and make confident eye contact when doing this.
One of the best pieces of job interview advice is to practice your closing. Rehearsing your closing statements will help you leave the impression of a confident, organized candidate. Go to the closing script examples in the table above to help you prepare your own closing statements.
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